Prayer is potential dynamite. It can blast through darkness, calamities, challenges and circumstances, bringing God’s power and peace to light our path and guide our way. To pray is to change, not only circumstances and situations, but also ourselves.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Matthew 6:9-13), he taught them The Lord’s Prayer . It contains the essential elements for prayer and is widely and regularly used across denominations. It must be the most well-known and oft repeated prayer in the Bible.
Growing up I repeated it daily at bedtime, at school everyday in assembly and at church on Sundays. However, as an adult I drifted away from faith and ceased to use it, until my faith was rekindled at a University Mission.
There was a season in my life, some years ago when I visited Jordan regularly, as part of a small prayer team, to encourage a family from our church who were living and working in Amman. We would go for a week at a time and travel round the country praying in various locations.
On one such visit we had the opportunity to visit a Mosque. While the men in the group met with the Imans, us women were shown round a museum attached to the Mosque. We were then invited into the actual Mosque itself. Our guide explained various points to us about the decor and layout and then left us there for awhile.
We began to pray….except I found it really hard to do so. The thought came to me that I should pray the Lord’s Prayer…even that was hard to start with!
But I persevered and it began to flow, as I walked up and down the carpet in the vast space. As I did so, I began to have pictures and Bible verses which I was able to share with our friend in Jordan, who in turn passed them on to the Imans, who were blessed and encouraged by them.
As I mentioned in Week 3 of this Journey Through Lent, The Way of Problems, some of us have been using the Lord’s Prayer more frequently recently, as we follow the governments guideline to wash our hands thoroughly during the Coronavirus pandemic.
It is a comprehensive and compelling prayer that is powerful and effective.
Have you read it in different versions of the Bible recently? In The Passion Translation of the Bible, we read:
Pray like this:
‘Our Father, dwelling in the heavenly realms,
may the glory of your name
be the center on which our lives turn.
Manifest your kingdom realm,
and cause your every purpose to be fulfilled on earth,
just as it is fulfilled in heaven.
We acknowledge you as our Provider
of all we need each day.
Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we ourselves
release forgiveness to those who have wronged us.
Rescue us every time we face tribulation
and set us free from evil.
For you are the King who rules
with power and glory forever. Amen.’
Matthew 6:9-13 (TPT)
I would like to invite you to read the prayer slowly three times and to choose a word or phrase or sentence, that stands out for you today.
Take a few moments to reflect and ponder on your chosen word/phrase and listen to what God wants to say to you through it. Close your time of reflection by praying this version of The Lords Prayer.